Into the Wonderland
by June Ellie
Summary: A lonely dream, and a series of victims who fall to it one by one... Who will wake them from this eternal nightmare? Inspired by the Vocaloid song Alice of Human Sacrifice.
1. The Nightmare

**The next chapter of Temporal Fates is unfortunately taking a while, because: 1. Work is getting busy. 2. Chapter 13 is giving me quite a lot of trouble, and I need 11 to 13 to flow smoothly together before I post. 3. I've unfortunately fallen sick.**

 **However, this fic should hopefully tide you over until that's done. Let's just say that listening to music when you're sick tends to give you *weird* ideas. Fever + sick leave from work + listening to Alice of Human Sacrifice = perfect recipe for this twisted fic :P**

 **Mind you, while this is *inspired* by Alice of Human Sacrifice, it doesn't follow the lyrics of the song exactly. I chose to alter the scenarios somewhat to ensure they fit the VSSE agents, rather than trying to force the VSSE agents to conform to the existing scenarios.**

 **That said, I strongly advise you to listen to the song that inspired this, perhaps while you're reading. It's dark and twisted and beautiful :P**

 **youtube dot com/watch?v=j6MltGHO-lE (Replace the "dot" and remove the spaces obviously; this stupid site doesn't let you type links properly)**

* * *

Once, there was a dream, but not a normal dream like any other. No one knew where it came from or who made it, but it had its own personality and will, almost like it was a real person. Loneliness was its closest companion, and for a time the dream was content with that. It watched other people as though through a veil, cloaked in its solitude. As time passed, it began to hunger for the companionship of others. But the veil was impenetrable, and it could do nothing but watch helplessly.

Then one day, it was abruptly cut off from everything. In its isolation, the dream could no longer see anything or anyone. The dream was terrified of disappearing, completely unnoticed by anyone. It thought to itself, "How can I get people to notice me?"

The dream thought and thought, until it finally came up with an idea. "I'll shape this place into my own world, and trap people in here. Then they'll stay forever, and I won't be alone anymore."

And so, the dream began to weave its world into a twisted wonderland…

* * *

The first man to enter the wonderland was a dark–haired knight in a blue jacket, strong and fierce and impatient. Though it was traditional for knights to wield swords, the man had his trusty pistol with him instead, for it had carried him through many battles unscathed.

The knight made his way through the wonderland, searching for its centre so that he might find the dream. Not wanting the knight to put a stop to its plans, the dream raised monsters from the ground to impede the knight and twisted the landscape around him, hoping to block his progress. But the knight fought his way through everything the dream threw at him, leaving a bloody path in his wake. He had no patience to deal with the obstacles, and so he chose the fastest and most forceful way of dealing with them.

But the dream was angered by the taint the knight had inflicted upon its pristine wonderland. And so it raised a cage of roses to entrap the knight as it approached the heart of the wonderland, punishing him for his callousness. The thorny vines grew thickly around him, leaving barely enough room for the knight to see the place he'd been looking for, just ahead of him but eternally out of reach.

And so the knight who would have reached the dream by force fell to the madness of the wonderland.

* * *

The second person to enter the wonderland was a blonde man with a red jacket, wearing a sharp but kind gaze. He entered the wonderland as a mage, and though he didn't wield spells as most mages did, the man's words were their own magic in itself. While he could craft words that were bold and strong, destroying barriers and smiting foes, the mage could also shape his voice to be soft and gentle as needed, persuading locked doors to open and enemies to transform into friends.

The mage wandered through the tainted wonderland, trying to heal it with his words and coax the dream out of hiding. But the violence inflicted upon it by the knight was too vast for the mage to overcome, although he tried his best. From bloodstained battlefields bloomed roses, and the corpses of fallen monsters were laid to rest amongst the petals.

The dream listened to the mage speaking his words of power through the wonderland, and it slowly began to find a voice of its own. But the taint of the knight's influence still gripped it, and its anger at the outsiders' attempts to stop its plans began to turn on the gentle mage as well.

The madness of the wonderland began to infect the mage as he made his way across the landscape. Time flowed differently in the wonderland, and the mage could not tell if he had been there for mere minutes or hundreds of years. His gentle voice began to grow cold and harsh as he bore witness to the endless devastation the knight had wreaked upon the land, hope slowly giving way to despair.

By the time the mage stumbled upon the heart of the woods where the knight remained imprisoned, he had succumbed to the taint of the wonderland as well. The mage saw the cage of roses where the knight was imprisoned, though he could see nothing of its prisoner but a pair of furious dark eyes. If he had been in his right mind, the mage might have been more cautious and spoken to the prisoner first. Instead, he bade the cage to destroy itself and release its captive without thinking.

The knight emerged as the cage of thorns was ripped apart, and the mage's eyes widened upon seeing him. But the knight had been driven mad by his long imprisonment, and he saw the mage as nothing but another enemy to fight. As the mage opened his mouth to call the knight's name, the knight raised his bloodstained pistol and shot the mage. The mage collapsed under the remnants of the thorny cage as the knight left without a backwards glance. He had long forgotten his goal of finding the dream, thinking only of spreading chaos through the wonderland and wreaking destruction upon it.

As the mage's eyes closed, his blood pooled into the ground, and a bed of roses bloomed around his body, laying him to rest.

* * *

The third man who entered the wonderland was a bright youth wearing a white jacket. His hair was the colour of the sun, and though his pale blue eyes should have looked cold, they sparkled with warmth and light. The youth carried no weapon with him, but his bright smile was all he needed, for it could melt the hardest of hearts and soothe the wildest of beasts.

The youth's bright demeanour was a breath of fresh air in the bloodstained wonderland, and the dream became enamoured with him. It tried to crown him the ruler of the wonderland, but the youth refused, for he had come to seek out the dream, not rule it. But the dream was frightened by the youth's plea, for it could not understand his simple offer of friendship, without asking for anything in return. Suspicious and hurt by the youth's refusal to become its king, the dream retreated, locking itself deep within its forest.

The youth roamed across the land, making friends with the creatures he met along the way. Though he mourned the devastation that had befallen the wonderland, its macabre beauty entranced him as well, and his bright nature guarded him against the worst of the taint the knight had visited upon the land. The insane knight could not approach him either, keeping the youth safe even as the knight continued to lay waste to the further reaches of the wonderland.

But the dream still held influence over the wonderland, and its hurt at the youth's rejection of its gift had slowly turned into anger. By this time, the dream had learned to use the words it had stolen from the mage, and it began to whisper to the youth. But the words were twisted and tainted, sowing doubt in the youth's heart and distorting his mind.

The youth began to doubt his ability to find the dream, plagued by reminders of his inexperience and comparative lack of skill. As he slowly lost faith in himself, his smile began to falter and the darkness of the wonderland began to seep into him, clouding his mind further. Gradually, he began to forget why he had come to the wonderland and what he was supposed to be doing.

But the spark of life that drove the youth could not be eradicated so easily. Though his light had dimmed, the youth continued to wander endlessly through the wonderland, determined to search for what he was trying to find even though he could no longer remember anything, not even his name. The last spark that remained within him protected him from the knight as he roamed in circles, looking for anything familiar that could guide him once more.

Though the roaming youth grew ever more tired, the spark keeping him alive would not let him stop moving. He continued to stagger across the landscape long after his body should have given out, barely alive and yet unable to die.

* * *

The fourth attempt at breaching the wonderland was not by a single man, but rather two of them. The men were close friends and almost the same age. Though they weren't related, you might have mistaken them for brothers, for they worked so well together that they might as well have been able to read each other's mind.

The older of the two was clothed in blue, and he was calm and logical, dissecting the obstacles in their way with his analytical mind. The younger man was clothed in red, and he was a fearless fighter, never afraid to stand firm in the face of insurmountable odds. Though apart they might have been inadequate, their partnership was strong, for they balanced each other's flaws out like two parts to a whole.

The friends made their way through the twisted landscape, and though they lacked the youth's bright nature, they remained safe from the warped effects of the knight's influence upon the wonderland. For if one of them began to falter, the other would pull him back from the edge, keeping him grounded. And so they remained strong, even in the face of the chaos sweeping across the land.

As the partners made their way deeper into the wonderland, they spotted something moving in the distance, looking more dead than alive. Cautiously, they approached it, and when they were close enough they realised it was the youth, still wandering unthinkingly across the land. It took them a long moment to recognise him, for they had never seen the youth looking so empty and lifeless.

The man in red called out to the youth, but he showed no sign of hearing or recognising them, for there was almost nothing left of him within his body. The youth began to stumble away from the friends, and they made to follow. But as the youth vanished around the corner, a wall of thorns abruptly sprung forth from the ground, separating the friends from each other. Though unhappy at this turn of events, the friends had no choice but to split up, hoping they would be able to reunite later.

With the friends separated from each other, the dream began to whisper to each of them, trying to turn them against each other.

To the man in blue, the dream asked if he could truly be content with the man in red constantly holding him back. He was the better fighter of the two, the dream whispered, and he didn't need his friend. Why shouldn't he just leave the younger man behind and forge his own path?

But to the man in red, the dream whispered of his love for the man in blue, not as a brother but as an equal, which the man in blue had rejected long ago. The man in red had long since put aside his feelings for his friend and embraced him as a brother in arms, but the dream's words began to bring back his long–buried emotions.

"He won't be with you forever," the dream hissed. "Someday, he'll find someone else he truly loves, and leave you behind."

Though the man in red tried to shut out the dream's words, they wormed their way into his mind, and he began to wonder if he cared more for his friend than his friend did for him. As the seed of doubt grew, the dream's influence on the man in red strengthened, and it began to whisper sweet promises to the man, of a way to make sure he was loved and cherished and never separated from his friend.

By the time the man in red made his way to the heart of the forest, the dream had all but taken control of his body.

The man in blue approached from another direction, eyes widening with joy as he saw his friend. Calling the man in red's name, he rushed towards him, relief blinding him to the dark shadows in his partner's eyes.

When the man in red came to his senses, he found himself kneeling on the floor of the forest. The acrid stench of blood filled the air, and the echo of a scream lingered in his ears. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he looked down to find his friend's lifeless body in his arms, face frozen in terror. Releasing his grip on his dead friend, the man stumbled backwards in horror, noticing that his hands were covered in blood.

The man's devastated scream shattered the silence, echoing through the empty forest. The dream had kept its promise. Just as he'd wanted, the man in blue would stay with him forever.

* * *

 **There will be a few more chapters to this: First to show what's *really* going on, then to free the agents. If you can guess who each character is (There are 6 in total: The Dream, First Alice, Second Alice, Third Alice, and the Fourth Alices), you might be able to tell, by process of elimination, who ends up rescuing them.**


	2. We're All Mad Here

**This chapter makes a brief reference to my Richard backstory fic, How to Tame a Wolf, although it's not necessary to read that one to understand this.**

* * *

The final man to enter the wonderland was a wild card, for he was fighter and mage and healer all at once, slipping between roles to become whatever he needed to be in any given situation.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Richard? We don't know what's going to happen." The Director's worried voice came through clearly across the phone line.

Richard gazed at the prone figures of his fellow Crisis Agents, steely determination in his eyes.

"This has gone on for long enough. It ends here."

* * *

It started when Giorgio was captured on a mission gone wrong. The VSSE launched a frantic search for the missing agent, finally locating him a month after his disappearance.

However, their problems had only just begun. When Keith and Robert burst into the room where Giorgio was being held, they found him unconscious and strapped to a metal table. The younger agent was hooked up to a strange machine with wires, and a helmet–like device attached to the machine was clamped onto his head. There were similar devices throughout the room, all attached to the machine but mercifully devoid of other victims beside Giorgio.

Fortunately, the readings on the screens beside Giorgio indicated his heart was still beating, and he still had brain activity. But his emaciated state was worrying, and the odd surges in the readings alarmed the agents.

Robert searched through the computer in the room, trying to find some answers while Keith contacted HQ and reported what they'd found. Upon hearing about Giorgio's state, the Director instructed Alan and Wesley, who had been tracking down a different lead about Giorgio's disappearance, to join the senior agents and back them up. Until they knew whether they could safely move Giorgio, the agents would have to base their centre of operations where his body was.

At length, Robert discovered a file relating to the experiments being conducted in the facility. Though much of the information was missing or destroyed, it seemed that Giorgio was trapped in a virtual reality simulation of some sort. Attempting to remove him from the machine while his mind was still trapped was not an option, as it would render him braindead.

Although there was a failsafe in place in case the program needed to be abruptly shut down, nothing happened to Giorgio when Robert activated it, although the other helmets lost their glow and seemed to deactivate. It seemed that Giorgio's captors had messed with the kill switch before the agents arrived, isolating Giorgio's helmet and preventing it from being deactivated to prevent the agents from easily rescuing their colleague.

Then came the argument about what to do.

"We can't afford to wait," Keith insisted. "If he's been in this state for the whole month, he can't last much longer."

"While that may be true, there's no guarantee this is going to work," Robert retorted. "There's no point in risking yourself senselessly without knowing if you'll be able to bring him back."

Even as he spoke, he could see from the firm look in Keith's eyes that his partner wasn't going to take no for an answer.

As Keith moved to pick up one of the helmets, Robert stopped him.

"For goodness' sake, don't be an idiot," he snapped, picking up the helmet before Keith could grab it. "If I let you go in there to retrieve him, we'll probably be in even more trouble."

Keith's eyes widened. "Wait, you're planning on going in by yourself instead?"

Robert shot him a flat look. "Wasn't that what you were planning on doing in the first place?"

"Yeah, but…" Keith hesitated. "Why don't we both go in together, just in case?"

"Because I need you to keep an eye on me while I'm doing this, and shut it down if something happens," Robert replied.

Examining the helmet carefully, he pressed a couple of buttons on its side, reactivating its glow. After testing the kill switch again and being satisfied that the helmet could be shut down, Robert took hold of the helmet again.

"Robert… I…" Keith swallowed, looking uncertain, as though he regretted having suggested this in the first place.

"Don't make me pull rank on you," Robert gruffly cut him off.

Keith's eyes narrowed. "We're the same rank and you know it."

"Seeing as I'm older, and you lack basic common sense, I'd say I outrank you thoroughly." Robert smirked, before turning serious.

"Stay here and wait for backup to arrive. And for goodness' sake, don't do anything stupid while you're waiting."

Slowly, Keith nodded. "Be careful."

Returning his gaze, Robert placed the helmet on his own head, and the world went dark.

* * *

Keith didn't know whether it was minutes or hours later, but he was still alone when Robert's heart rate abruptly registered a massive spike.

"Robert!" Keith called in alarm. His partner's face was contorted in what might have been pain or rage, and Keith immediately bolted for the computer, trying to shut down the program before the older agent could hurt himself.

To his alarm, the computer let out an angry–sounding beep before locking itself down, preventing Keith from accessing it any further.

 _Shit… No!_

Keith gritted his teeth, slamming a fist against the table in frustration.

As Keith looked at the unconscious agents, his gaze fell upon the unoccupied helmets beside them.

" _Don't do anything stupid while you're waiting."_

Robert's words echoed in Keith's ears as he stared at his partner's unconscious form, panic welling up in his throat. Robert's mouth was open in a wordless scream, and Keith was abruptly furious with himself. Why had he insisted on jumping the gun and trying to dive into the program to rescue Giorgio? If he hadn't spoken up with his thoughtless suggestion, Robert wouldn't have felt the need to step in and take Keith's place. Now both he and Giorgio were trapped, and it was Keith's fault.

If Robert were awake, he would be berating Keith for what he was considering. Rationally, Keith knew it was the height of foolishness. He'd already seen his partner become trapped in his attempt to reach Giorgio.

But the irrational part of his mind, the part which burned with guilt and worry as he looked at his friend's pain–filled face, took hold of him. Before he could have second thoughts, Keith slipped a helmet onto his own head, hoping he would get a chance to make things right.

* * *

A terrified cry rang out through the room, shattering the silence… but nobody was there to hear it.

* * *

Evan was technically not supposed to be involved in this. As Giorgio's partner, he was far too close to the situation, and the VSSE was afraid his judgement would be compromised.

But when he heard that Keith and Robert had found Giorgio, he had barged into the Director's office, begging to be allowed to help. It was bad enough that he couldn't stop Giorgio from being captured in the first place. Now, Giorgio was still suffering, and they expected him to sit back and let the other agents handle the situation?

Seeing the desperation in Evan's eyes, the Director had reluctantly agreed, knowing that nothing short of locking Evan away under armed guard would stop him.

Spurred on by his need to help Giorgio, Evan had reached the facility long before Alan and Wesley were due to arrive. Deciding the older agents would catch up to him when they reached, Evan had chosen to enter by himself, searching for any sign of his colleagues.

It hadn't taken him long to find himself in the room he was now standing in, staring in shock at the older agents' unconscious forms. They didn't react in the slightest when Evan began shaking them and calling their names in alarm, but each of the agents wore an expression of agony, making them look as though they were in pain even while unconscious.

Evan bit back a frustrated scream, scanning the room frantically. Though he had noticed the helmets attached to the machine, considering that the other people wearing them were in bad shape, doing the same would be a phenomenally terrible idea.

There was a computer in the corner of the room, but it merely flashed a series of error messages at him when he tried to interact with it.

With nothing else he could do at the moment, Evan turned back to look at the machine again.

Something else caught his attention instead.

"Giorgio?" Evan's eyes widened.

Though his partner was still unconscious, tears were streaming down his cheeks, and the agonised expression on his face had given way to terror.

"Gi! Can you hear me?" Evan ran to his partner's side. Giorgio's mouth was moving wordlessly, as though he was trying to say something, but no sound came out.

Evan grabbed hold of Giorgio's hand, squeezing tightly. "Gi, please wake up. I'm so sorry about everything. I wish I'd been faster… I should have stopped you from being taken."

After a moment, he realised his own face was wet with tears as well. Angrily, he reached up with a shaking hand, wiping them away.

As he looked at his (broken, terrified, crying) partner, whatever rationality Evan had left fled.

It was stupid and dangerous.

But Giorgio was hurting.

If there was even a remote chance that this could help ease Giorgio's torment, then Evan would gladly take the risk.

"Wait for me, Gi. I'm coming."

* * *

Despite their reputation as laidback pranksters, Alan and Wesley were still skilled Crisis Agents who were not lacking in common sense.

Their attempts to contact Keith and Robert on the way to meet up with the senior agents had been met with ominous silence. Likewise, Evan, who was supposed to be on his way to the facility as well, was out of contact.

So when they arrived at the facility and found their colleagues' unconscious bodies lying in the room, attached to a strange machine, the agents chose to call in to HQ instead and report the situation.

Within hours, the VSSE had sent a handful of scientists and intelligence officers to back them up and try to figure out what was going on. Fortunately, they managed to retrieve the surveillance footage for the room, which showed how the other agents had gotten into such a state.

Unfortunately, after the intelligence officers had succeeded in coaxing the computer back to life and began poring through the files within, the scientists had concluded that it was impossible to reach the agents externally. The only way to bring them out of the state they were in was for someone to enter the simulation and wake them from within.

However, considering three agents had already tried that and had somehow become trapped as well…

"There's no other way," Alan insisted. "If we don't do this, they're just going to stay sleeping forever."

"What makes you so sure you'll fare any different from them?" Christy asked sharply, lips pressed into a thin line. She had deliberately avoided looking at Keith and Robert the entire time, and the agents didn't comment on the way her hands shook slightly as she typed away on the computer.

"We'll go in together and watch each other's backs," Wesley responded. Though his tone was calm and he outwardly looked confident, there was a hint of nervousness in his eyes that he couldn't quite hide.

Christy let out an exasperated huff, but the agents knew her irritation wasn't directed at them.

"Make sure you stick together in there," she ordered, eyeing the agents with concern.

"Of course we will," Alan replied firmly.

The agents looked at each other for a moment.

As one, they pulled on the helmets, preparing to dive in after their fellow agents.

* * *

Bloodcurdling screams filled the air, accompanied by a chorus of frantic shouting.

"Hold him down!"

"Readings are surging out of control!"

Alan struggled against the intelligence officers who were pinning his arms back, stopping him from clawing at his throat, as he screamed incoherently, shrieking like a madman.

Beside him, Wesley's eyes were squeezed shut, face twisted in a rictus of terror.

* * *

And now, Richard was the VSSE's last hope for rescuing the other agents. The veteran agent had been hunting down the ringleaders involved in the case that had gotten Giorgio captured. When HQ got the call saying that Alan and Wesley were in trouble, Richard had quickly wrapped up his own assignment and headed straight to the facility.

* * *

"This has gone on long enough," Richard repeated when the Director didn't say anything. "We can't just leave them in this state."

The Director sighed. "Richard, please… Promise me you'll be careful. We don't know exactly what happened to the other agents to trap their minds in the simulation. Don't let yourself get caught too."

As Richard ended the call, he felt someone watching him. Turning, he met Rachel's worried gaze.

After the kidnapping incident where she had met Richard, Rachel had chosen to join the VSSE as a scientist, hoping to use her intelligence to help the VSSE make the world safer. Of course, it helped that she'd developed feelings for the agent who'd saved her. Though it hadn't always been easy, she and Richard had weathered the challenges in their way, turning their spark of mutual attraction into a solid relationship and taking it to the logical conclusion of becoming happily married.

"Rach…"

Rachel swallowed nervously, then looked Richard firmly in the eye. "Come back to me safely."

Richard pulled her into a hug, kissing her gently. "Always."

After a long moment, he reluctantly pulled away. With a final look at his wife, Richard pulled the helmet on.


	3. Down the Rabbit Hole

Chaos.

Shadows.

Death.

A vortex of darkness enveloped him, thoughts and memories swirling around him so rapidly that he could barely hold onto any of them.

 _I am a VSSE agent. I am on a mission._

White walls… the smell of disinfectant… his mother's doctor approaching him, a grave look on his face…

 _No… This isn't real. This is my past. I am not really here._

Shouting and gunfire… blazing sun… the gritty feel of sand beneath his boots…

 _LET GO OF ME!_

With a gasp, Richard wrenched himself free from the memories assaulting him and opened his eyes.

Looking down at himself, he was surprised to find himself wearing his usual attire, leather jacket and all. His handgun was in its holster, just as always.

 _I guess it would make sense that my mind chose to imagine bringing my pistol along._

Richard briefly entertained the idea of trying to see if he could conjure up anything else useful out of thin air, but quickly dismissed the thought. It was difficult enough to hold onto his sense of self here; he didn't want to push it by trying to manifest objects as well.

 _This will do fine. My handgun has always been enough for missions._

Now that he had taken stock of himself, Richard scanned his surroundings.

 _What is this place? This is… Not what I was expecting._

He was standing in a bloodstained field, filled with blooming roses. The sky cycled through different colours every few seconds. As he watched, it changed from blue to purple to red, then onto a dizzying series of different colours, each more fantastical than the last.

Shaking his head firmly, Richard forced himself to look away from the bizarre sky, focusing on what he needed to do.

 _Keith, Robert, Alan, Wesley, Giorgio and Evan should all be trapped in here somewhere. I need to find all of them and wake them up before waking myself._

As Richard glanced at the macabre landscape before him, he pressed his lips firmly together.

 _I cannot let this place draw me in. I must remember why I'm here, and that this is all a simulation. If I forget, I will become trapped here just like them._

Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine as his instincts screamed a warning.

Richard dived sideways just in time to avoid a hail of bullets that ripped through where he'd been standing.

 _What the hell…?_

Richard's eyes widened as he caught sight of his attacker.

"Agent Baxter?" He exclaimed incredulously.

There was no sign of recognition in Robert's hostile gaze as he whipped his gun around to fire in Richard's direction. Richard was forced to dive behind a nearby rosebush and take cover.

 _Actually, can hallucinatory bullets hurt me? …On second thought, I don't think I want to find out._

"Robert, stop!" He ordered. "I'm not here to fight you!"

Robert sneered at him, and Richard understood that the younger agent wasn't in any state to listen to reason.

 _Alright. If this is the only way to bring him to his senses, so be it._

Unholstering his pistol, Richard steeled himself to do battle with his fellow agent.

* * *

Despite the madness gripping him, Robert's skills were as deadly as ever. Though Richard had a slight advantage over him in that respect, Robert was able to keep up with him remarkably well.

It didn't help that the younger agent had the home ground advantage. Richard was not yet used to fighting across the terrain of the simulation. Roads abruptly vanished before his eyes, and obstacles sprung up where there had been none a moment ago. Richard was able to think on his feet and improvise, but Robert was already accustomed to fighting around these abrupt changes.

They fought for what could have been minutes or years, and although Richard knew none of it was real, he could feel himself tiring all the same.

A twisted tree rose up before him, blocking his path. Behind him, he could hear Robert's footsteps approaching.

Thinking quickly, Richard scrambled up into the branches, concealing himself.

A few moments later, Robert darted past, dark eyes scanning his surroundings intensely.

Immediately, Richard swung down from the tree, tackling Robert as he let out a startled yell. The younger agent tried to fight him off, but Richard pinned him firmly to the ground, kicking his pistol out of reach.

"Don't do this, Robert! This isn't you. You fight to protect others, not to hurt them. Wake up and look at what you're doing!" Richard shouted as Robert thrashed and struggled like a wild animal, snarling incoherently.

Nothing seemed to be getting through to Robert, and it was beginning to seem as though he wouldn't stop fighting unless he was dead.

Richard hesitated for a moment.

 _Sorry about this, Robert._

In one swift move, Richard slapped Robert hard across the face.

Abruptly, Robert let out a shuddering gasp and went still, the shadow of madness fading from his eyes. Blinking, he looked around wildly, seeming thoroughly disoriented.

"Robert," Richard said firmly, and the younger agent's gaze slid to him.

"Agent… Agent Miller?" Robert breathed. As Richard released his grip on Robert, he slowly sat up. "What… what are you doing here?"

"How are you feeling?" Richard asked, giving Robert a quick glance over.

Though he didn't seem to have suffered any major physical injuries, the irascible agent was more flustered and off–balance than Richard had ever seen. Despite the urgency of his mission, Richard couldn't help but worry about him.

"I don't… What happened? How did I get here?" Robert was shaking slightly as he stared at Richard.

"You and Keith found Giorgio hooked up to a machine trapping him in a virtual reality simulation. You went into the simulation to try to retrieve him, but became trapped as well," Richard replied, his eyes never leaving Robert's.

Upon seeing the younger agent flinch, Richard frowned slightly. "Do you remember anything?"

Robert swallowed, shaking his head, but Richard could tell he was hiding something.

"Have you seen any of the other agents around?" Richard asked.

Given Robert's mental state before Richard woke him, he privately doubted Robert would have recognised any of the others even if he'd seen them, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Robert's eyes widened.

"Wait… The others? I thought you said I was…"

"The other Crisis Agents became trapped in here as well. I was sent in to try to find everyone," Richard said quietly, carefully watching Robert's reaction.

"No…" Robert began shaking his head, eyes darting from side to side.

"Robert… What is it?" Richard reached for the younger agent, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Robert's fists clenched, and he squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't remember much… Just flashes. I was furious… Locked away in the darkness for so long. Then there was light. But I wasn't…"

He opened his eyes, and Richard was startled by the revulsion burning in his dark gaze.

"The person who released me… In the state I was in, it didn't seem to matter who he was. There was a small voice telling me I should recognise him from somewhere, but all I saw was another enemy to cut down. He was trying to tell me something when I shot him."

Richard felt a tendril of dread creep up his spine. "Robert…"

"That person… He was…" The younger agent swallowed, looking sick.

"I think… I killed Keith."

As soon as he had spoken, Robert's face crumpled. Hastily, he buried his head in his hands, letting out a muffled sobbing sound.

Wordlessly, Richard rested a hand against Robert's back, quietly sitting beside him until his trembling subsided somewhat.

"I'm sure Keith is fine," Richard said softly. "When I arrived, all of you were still showing signs of brain activity. His mind is still alive somewhere in here."

Robert let out a shaky breath, scrubbing a hand roughly across his face. "Please… bring him back. If I'd known it was him… I wouldn't have… I never meant to…"

"I promise. I'm not leaving until all of you are free."

Helping Robert to his feet, Richard held the younger agent's gaze for a long moment as his eyes searched Richard's.

Finally, Robert nodded, taking a step back. "Thank you… For finding me."

A bright light filled the area, and Richard instinctively closed his eyes to avoid the glare.

When his vision cleared, the bloodstained field had lost its reddish tint, leaving only the crimson roses blooming on pristine green grass.

Robert was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Hoping that Robert's disappearance meant he had woken up, Richard swallowed his unease and continued across the land, which no longer looked battle–scarred.

Somehow, it looked even more disturbing this way. A pristinely macabre wonderland, with impossible hues of sky and vibrant flora and fauna all over.

 _At least before, it had a layer of reality to it. Violence is the same everywhere._

Richard's eyes narrowed as a flash of movement at the edge of his vision caught his attention.

Turning, he found nothing there… At least not right beside him.

It took him a moment to notice, but there seemed to be someone moving past in the distance.

 _One of the other agents?_

Richard immediately started out after the figure. Fortunately, whoever it was didn't seem to be moving very fast, and Richard was able to close the difference between them quickly.

"Hey… are you alright?" He called out as he approached.

To his surprise, the person didn't seem to have heard him at all.

 _Let's hope I don't have to fight him like with Robert… Though he seems much less aggressive than Robert was._

As Richard caught up to the man, he placed a hand on his shoulder, turning the figure around to face him.

It took a few moments for him to register what he was seeing.

"Agent Bernard?"

Evan's eyes were dull and lifeless. Though he was standing and moving slowly, he didn't react to Richard's presence at all, merely stumbling forward as though Richard were not holding onto him.

"Evan, what's the matter? Can you hear me?" Richard asked worriedly, gripping Evan tighter and stopping him in his tracks.

The younger agent made a half–hearted attempt to continue moving, but otherwise didn't respond.

Slowly, Richard pushed him down into a sitting position, taking a seat across from him and looking at him carefully.

The blankness in Evan's gaze was somehow more frightening than Robert's furious bloodlust. This empty shell that had replaced Evan was a mockery of the younger agent's usual self, always so vibrant and full of life.

"Do you recognise me?" Richard gently placed a hand on Evan's shoulder.

The younger agent was gazing into the distance at nothing in particular, but he blinked slowly as Richard spoke, sending a stir of hope through the veteran agent.

"If you don't remember me, then what about Giorgio?"

At this, there was a flicker of reaction. Slowly, Evan turned to look at Richard.

"Yes, that's right. Giorgio, your partner. You know him, don't you? He's in here somewhere. He needs your help."

Evan's eyes widened slightly, and his mouth began moving wordlessly.

"That's it… Come on, Evan… Wake up," Richard urged, giving him a firm shake.

A shadow seemed to flit across Evan's face before vanishing, and the younger agent suddenly shook his head, the dazed look fading as his eyes properly focused on Richard.

"Agent Miller? Where… I…" Evan stammered, looking confused.

"Are you alright?" Richard released his grip on Evan's shoulders.

"What have I been doing?" Evan shook his head again, as though trying to clear it. "I can't remember how I got here…"

"You're trapped in a simulation at the moment. Have you seen any of the other agents around?"

Evan looked startled for a moment before shaking his head. "No, at least… I don't think so. But… I think there was a voice…"

"A voice?" Richard repeated sharply, frowning slightly.

"I…" Evan hesitated. "I'm not sure who it was. Maybe I was imagining it. But it started whispering to me… I don't really remember what it said, but… it felt pretty awful. I don't remember much more after that."

Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Giorgio! What happened to… Is he alright?!"

"He's somewhere in here. I'm going to look for him," Richard quickly answered, trying to reassure the younger agent.

"Alright. I'm coming with you," Evan declared, climbing to his feet.

However, he evidently hadn't quite recovered from his earlier exhaustion. Richard managed to catch hold of Evan as he swayed, preventing him from falling over.

"No, you have to leave," Richard ordered. "I don't know what you were doing in here, but you exhausted yourself to the point of becoming a mindless zombie."

Evan's eyes flashed angrily. "He's my partner! I'm not leaving until he's safe."

There was a moment of silence.

"Would Giorgio want you running yourself ragged like this trying to save him?" Richard asked quietly.

Evan's shoulders slumped as the fight drained out of him. With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Alright. Just… Bring him back safely, please," Evan muttered, looking at Richard pleadingly.

Richard squeezed Evan's shoulder reassuringly, giving him a small smile.

As bright light bloomed once more, he thought he heard Evan letting out a soft sob.

* * *

As Richard ventured further into simulation, a sense of unease began to grow within him as he began to feel as though there was someone watching him.

At first, he managed to convince himself he was imagining things.

Then he began to hear the whispering Evan had mentioned.

It was almost inaudible at first, but slowly began to grow more distinct as Richard made his way across the land.

" _Alone…"_

" _Always apart from everyone…"_

" _Stay here… You won't be lonely here…"_

Clenching his fists tightly, Richard forced himself to ignore the voice even as it filled him with an uncharacteristic sense of dread.

"You're wrong," he said firmly. "I'm never alone… Not even when I'm by myself. I won't ever be alone as long as there are people I care about."

Richard thought he heard a hiss of displeasure, but the voice didn't speak again, even though he could still sense the presence watching him.

* * *

A soft sobbing sound caught his attention as he entered the twisted forest near the centre of the landscape.

Making his way through the trees, Richard soon discovered the source.

Alan was crouching in a clearing, bent over something on the ground and weeping.

"Alan, what's wrong?" Richard asked softly, approaching the agent cautiously.

 _Didn't he and Wesley come in here together?_

Alan didn't look up, but as Richard drew closer, he realised what the younger agent was crying over.

Something inside him twisted sharply as he stared down at Wesley's lifeless body.

 _No…_

"I killed him," Alan rasped in a broken voice, so softly Richard almost didn't hear him.

For a moment, Richard forgot to breathe.

 _What the hell happened here? I thought they, of all people, would…_

It was then that a sliver of rationality reasserted itself.

 _No. Wesley isn't really dead. He looks dead, but all of them were still alive and showing signs of brain activity before I entered. The issue at hand is how to remind his mind that it isn't actually dead, and wake him from his virtual death._

Richard clung to that thought, forcing himself to ignore Wesley's still form and turn his attention to Alan instead.

"What happened?" He asked as gently as he could manage.

Alan just shook his head, pressing his lips firmly together as tears continued to stream down his cheeks.

Cautiously, Richard took hold of Alan, turning him away from Wesley's body. "Alan… Look at me."

Reluctantly, Alan tore his gaze away from his partner and glanced at Richard with swollen, red eyes.

"I don't… I don't want to talk about it," Alan spat bitterly, scrubbing at his face. "It won't change what's happened."

Richard hesitated, wondering whether to risk jogging Alan's memory about where they were.

After a moment's consideration, he decided against it. In the state he was in, Alan hadn't even thought to wonder why Richard was present. The veteran agent doubted that attempting to convince him Wesley was fine would help much in his devastated state.

He still wasn't sure how to reach Wesley. Perhaps, if he could help Alan first, the younger agent might have better luck doing so.

"What would you tell Wesley then? If you could talk to him one more time?"

Alan's eyes widened, and he shot Richard a look.

Richard raised his hands placatingly. "I won't listen, if you don't want me to. This is between you and him."

Alan let out a shaky breath, looking away. "No, it's… It's fine. I guess… If I could… I'd tell him I'm sorry, for being such an idiot."

"After we were separated, we agreed to find each other again further ahead. But once I was alone… I started hearing things."

Richard's eyes widened in alarm, but Alan didn't seem to notice. "Those words… I tried to ignore them, but the more I heard, the more they seemed to make sense. I started wondering… worrying that someday, Wesley and I would drift apart. I was terrified of losing my partner, my best friend… Then the voice began promising to show me a way to keep Wesley by my side forever."

"By the time I regained my senses, it was too late. I woke up covered in his blood." Alan's voice cracked on the last word.

"I wish… I wish I could thank him, just one more time, for everything. For all the years of friendship, and for always having my back… For everything we've been through together. He's my best friend, and I can't… I was so afraid of losing him that I ended up destroying him. I wish I could tell him how sorry I am… That I didn't mean to…"

Alan choked on the torrent of words spilling forth, and he began trembling uncontrollably.

Richard gently wrapped his arms around Alan, holding him as he sobbed violently.

"Alan?" A familiar voice called out weakly.

Startled, Alan pulled away from Richard, turning in the direction of the voice.

Wesley sat up slowly, blinking at Alan in confusion. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Wesley?" Alan gasped, staring at him in shock. "You… I…"

Abruptly, he lunged forward and enveloped his friend in a tight hug, weeping into his shoulder and choking out apologies.

Wesley stiffened in surprise for a moment before wrapping his own arms around Alan in return, gently stroking his hair and murmuring soothing platitudes until Alan's shaking subsided.

Finally, when Alan had calmed down somewhat, Wesley pulled away and looked at him.

"Are you alright now?"

Alan swallowed, looking ashamed. "Wesley… I…"

"You're my best friend too, idiot." Wesley gave him a soft smile.

Alan's eyes widened. "How much of that did you hear?"

"All of it, I think. It was like I was drifting in an empty void. Then I heard your voice echoing through the darkness… The next thing I knew, I was awake."

Alan bit his lip, averting his gaze. "I…I'm sorry."

Wesley gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Alan, look at me. I'm not angry. Alright?"

"How can you say that? I killed you!" Alan snapped, voice thick with self–loathing.

"But I'm not dead," Wesley countered softly. "And you said it yourself: You didn't mean to. You didn't want to hurt me; you lashed out because you were scared and you regretted it immediately afterwards. I know you're sorry, and I forgive you."

He paused, looking Alan firmly in the eye. "And you don't have to worry about losing me. Even if life pulls us apart, we'll always be partners."

"You promise?"

"Of course. I can't think of anybody else I'd rather have by my side than my best friend."

As Alan gave Wesley a watery smile, a bright light enveloped the forest.

* * *

Richard let out a breath as his vision returned to normal.

He had chosen to stay silent and out of sight during Alan and Wesley's conversation, not wanting to intrude on what should have been a private moment between them.

 _It makes sense that I didn't have to do much; this was about the two of them, after all._

However, Alan's comment about hearing things was bothering him.

Richard remembered the rush of memories surging through his mind during the first few dizzying minutes of entering this world. Since his mind was being laid bare to the simulation, he supposed it made sense that it would be able to rifle through his memories and peer into the darkest corners of his mind.

 _But still… That voice… Was it merely the simulation using our thoughts against us? Or…_

Unable to shake off his unease, Richard found himself on guard as he ventured deeper into the forest.

* * *

As Richard slowly made his way towards the heart of the woods, his surroundings grew darker, with trees growing thickly together and blotting out the light.

At the same time, the ominous presence watching him grew ever more menacing. Though the voice didn't speak to Richard again, he could feel its hostile gaze burning into him as he searched for Keith and Giorgio.

Despite his growing suspicions about the watcher's identity, Richard forced himself to keep his mind on the task at hand instead of engaging in futile speculation.

Finally, he found himself at the very centre of the woods.

In front of him stood what appeared to be a giant cupboard the size of a room, with ornate doors that seemed to be firmly closed.

And across from the cupboard…

Thorny vines were scattered on the ground, surrounding a bed of roses that were growing out of a pool of blood. A man lay motionless amongst the roses, blood dripping steadily from a gaping bullet wound in his chest.

Even as Richard bolted towards the man, a part of him already knew what he would see.

Despite the blood still dripping from Keith's wound, his body was cold and stiff, as though he had been dead for a long time. His eyes were closed, but his face was twisted in a grimace of pain. It seemed that even death hadn't released him from his torment.

A sudden surge of nausea shot through Richard as he stumbled backwards, gagging at the sight.

Dead bodies didn't normally faze Richard; considering his line of work, he had long since grown used to dealing with them. But there was something profoundly **wrong** about seeing one of his allies lying dead in a pool of his own blood, and he found himself biting back the sickened scream building in his throat.

Richard tried to remind himself that this wasn't actually real; contrary to appearances, Keith was still alive and well, just like Wesley had been. But it had been easier to accept that Wesley wasn't dead: He had been cold and limp, but there was no blood in sight, and he hadn't seemed injured. Richard could almost have convinced himself the younger agent was merely unconscious.

But here, the acrid stench of blood filled the air, and Richard couldn't tear his gaze away from the ugly wound marring Keith's chest, or the blood that was still dripping from it even though it should have stopped flowing a long time ago. Keith looked as though he had died painfully and violently, and even the knowledge that this couldn't be real wasn't enough for Richard to convince his senses that they were being deceived.

At that moment, a thought occurred to him.

 _Alan said he woke up covered in Wesley's blood… But I couldn't see any visible wounds on his body._

Realisation dawned on Richard as the answer came to him all at once.

 _I couldn't see any wounds on Wesley because I didn't know what Alan was looking at until I saw him for myself. I wasn't expecting to see Wesley dead, so my mind couldn't conjure up the wounds that should have been on his body. And if his appearance had changed to reflect his wounds after I'd already seen him, I would have immediately realised something was wrong, so the simulation couldn't try to trick me like that._

 _But when Robert told me earlier that he'd killed Keith, it planted the idea in my head. Right now, I can see the bullet wound on Keith's body because I expect to see it. My senses are telling me that Keith is supposed to be dead, so my mind interprets his appearance according to what I think he should look like._

Taking a deep breath, Richard turned away, seating himself on the forest floor a short distance away from Keith's body. Forcing himself not to look at Keith, Richard began to speak.

"Keith… I don't know if you can hear me. But if you're listening, you need to come back to us."

A small part of him felt ridiculous for speaking to a "corpse". But remembering what Wesley had said about Alan's voice waking him from the darkness, Richard hoped that he would be able to reach Keith in the same way.

"Officer Ryan… Christy… She's worrying about you, and waiting for you to return. She might very well kill you herself if you keep this up."

Though there was no response to his words, the pungent smell of blood seemed to grow weaker, and the air felt lighter somehow. Encouraged, Richard persisted.

"I found Robert earlier. He was trying not to show it, but he was extremely worried about you, and horrified by what he did. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry… That he didn't know what he was doing, and he never meant to attack you…"

A weak coughing sound interrupted Richard, and he whipped around to look.

Keith's eyes slowly blinked open as he struggled to sit up, his breathing shallow and ragged. The wound in his chest had closed over, as though it had never existed.

"Keith, can you hear me?" Richard ran to his side, steadying him.

Keith seemed dazed, looking around at his surroundings as he struggled to catch his breath.

As his breathing returned to normal, his eyes finally focused on Richard.

"Agent Miller…" He gasped, disbelief colouring his tone.

"Take it easy, you're alright now," Richard said quietly.

Wincing slightly, Keith clutched at his head with a soft hiss. "How long have I been here? I feel so weak…"

Before Richard could answer, Keith's eyes widened in alarm. "Robert! Is he—"

"Robert's fine," Richard quickly assured him. "He's already escaped this place."

"Thank goodness," Keith breathed, scrubbing a shaking hand across his face. "When I saw him earlier…"

"He wasn't in his right mind at the time. He didn't realise it was you, or he wouldn't have attacked you," Richard replied gently.

To his surprise, Keith let out a soft laugh, looking relieved rather than hurt.

"I know, and I don't blame him. I could see that something was wrong with him… I should have been more cautious, but I was so worried. I wanted to ask what had happened to him, but I didn't have a chance to speak. Before I lost consciousness, the last thing I remember was wishing I'd been able to do something to help him. I'm just glad he's alright now."

"If that's the case, you should leave," Richard ordered firmly. "Robert's probably awake by now, and he'll want to see that you're alright."

Keith gave him a shaky nod, clasping his hand. "Thank you."

Bright light filled Richard's vision again, and then Keith was gone.

* * *

With Keith safe, Richard turned his attention to the large cupboard.

As he approached it, the atmosphere seemed to grow thick and oppressive, preventing him from advancing any further.

For the first time in a while, the disembodied voice spoke up.

"You're not welcome here," the voice snarled, sounding furious and unhinged. "Get out!"

Richard took a deep breath, looking straight at the doors. Try as he might, he could no longer deny what he'd suspected about the hostile presence's identity.

"Giorgio," he said firmly. "What are you doing?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"Giorgio…" There was a hint of surprise in the voice's response. "Yes… that was my name once… A long time ago. Not anymore. I've become so much more than that."

"What are you talking about?" Richard demanded, frustration slipping into his voice. "Wake up and look at this place! Do you even know where you are?"

"Are you serious?" Giorgio let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Did you think I was as blind as those other fools who came in here? This simulation is MY world now, and nobody is going to take it away from me!"

"What?!"

"When I first woke up in this world, I found myself trapped in here all alone. At first, I tried to search for a way out, or perhaps for other people who might be in here with me. But no matter which direction I walked in, there was no exit in sight, and I was still alone. Finally, I realised the truth: Nobody was coming for me. I'd been abandoned, and left here to rot."

"That's not true!" Richard exclaimed. "After you went missing last month, everyone was worried. We've been searching for you ever since…"

"Don't lie to me!" Giorgio's furious response cut Richard off. "I waited for so long, but nobody ever came. None of you cared enough to find me!"

"I tried to hold out hope at first, but as time passed it became easier to stop hoping for salvation that would never come. I knew I would never leave this place. And once I'd stopped fighting it, I began to see this world more clearly. Eventually, I gained a deeper understanding of it than I thought was possible, and this knowledge allowed me to begin influencing the world, bit by bit. Gradually, my control over the simulation spread, until I was able to bend it to my will entirely."

"I decided that if I couldn't leave this place, I would turn it into my own paradise instead. What did it matter if there was nobody else around? I could create whatever I wanted; shape this world into a pristine wonderland that would last forever. Loneliness has no meaning in a world like this. And for a long time, that was good enough for me."

Richard suppressed a shudder as Giorgio's voice took on a fanatical edge. To have one of his allies talking about playing God and shaping the world in his own image…

 _Is there anything left of Giorgio in there? Or is this twisted shell all that remains of him?_

"Then **they** arrived."

The intense hatred colouring Giorgio's words threw Richard for a loop, but there was no mistaking who he was referring to.

"They came to my perfect paradise, but they were blind to its beauty. They refused to embrace this world as I had, seeking to destroy it instead. In doing so, they sealed their own fate."

Between navigating the bizarre world of the simulation and having to undo the damage it had inflicted upon his friends, while trying not to lose himself in the process, Richard's frustration had reached its boiling point.

Even as a small voice reminded him that Giorgio wasn't in his right mind at the moment, he felt himself snap.

"For God's sake, they came in here to help you! Why the hell would you do that to them?"

Almost immediately, Richard regretted his outburst.

Lashing out at Giorgio wouldn't help anyone. Besides, Giorgio wasn't really the cause of Richard's anger. The worry he felt at seeing the other agents suffering… The fear that he might be unable to bring them back safely… Richard could no longer ignore the emotions he'd been suppressing since entering the simulation.

Giorgio was a convenient scapegoat for his frustration… But that wasn't fair to the younger agent. While he was partly responsible for this situation, Giorgio was suffering too… Even if he pretended otherwise.

Taking a deep breath, Richard tried to rein in his emotions.

"Giorgio… I'm sorry we took so long to find you. But we never intended to leave you to suffer alone. No matter how long it took, we wouldn't ever have stopped searching for you."

"Then you should have found me sooner!" Giorgio spat, his voice dark and ugly and furious. "To you, it may only have been a month, but it might as well have been an eternity in here. It was just me, and this empty world, stretching on forever."

After a moment, he spoke again, sounding calmer. "At any rate, it doesn't matter. I've cast off my frail humanity and become something much greater. I don't need to go back anymore. This is my world, for all eternity. And for meddling in my affairs, I'll make sure you never leave this place either."

A chill ran down Richard's spine.

Time seemed to flow differently in the simulation, and Richard wasn't sure how much time had passed in the real world. It could have been hours or even days since he'd arrived. Either way, if Giorgio intended to keep him trapped in here, Richard had no illusions about his ultimate fate. He was supposed to have been the last resort for rescuing everyone. Sending any of the other agents back in to retrieve him would be tantamount to suicide, especially after their narrow escape.

How long would the VSSE wait for him to emerge from the simulation? Would he continue to live on indefinitely in a comatose state, or would they be merciful and pull the plug on him eventually?

Granted, Giorgio should be in the same position as well, but he seemed convinced that he had transcended the need for his physical body. Though it would be easy to dismiss this conviction as delusions of grandeur, Richard couldn't be entirely sure that was the case. Unstable or not, Giorgio had shown himself capable of manipulating the simulation at will.

Would Giorgio's consciousness live on as part of the simulation even after his body died?

The idea seemed ridiculous… But nothing else about this reality made sense either.

"Here's the thing, Giorgio: I was never trapped in here in the same way the other agents were. I've been aware of my surroundings this whole time, and I'm as lucid as I was when I got here. Perhaps, unlike the rest of them, I can leave whenever I want to." Richard tried to keep his voice steady, hoping his bluff sounded convincing.

"If I leave, and I report to the VSSE that you chose to stay in here, what do you think will happen? If you're not willing to leave, the VSSE isn't going to send anyone else to fetch you. You'll be all alone in this world again; only this time, nobody is going to come for you ever again. Is that really what you want?"

"I…" Giorgio seemed unsure of how to respond, and Richard pressed his advantage.

"You claim you don't care about being human anymore, but I think you know deep down that's a lie. After all, it's easier to pretend you can't be hurt than to admit that you still feel angry and betrayed, isn't it?"

"Stop it!" Giorgio shouted, a tinge of fear slipping into his voice.

"How long do you think you'll be able to deceive yourself before you're forced to face the truth: That you chose to give up everything you had… All the people who care about you… Just to rule over an empty world forever?"

A primal scream echoed through the forest, full of hurt and anger and desperation. It was the cry of a broken man who had forgotten how to hope, yet was unable to die.

As the sound tapered off into silence, Richard spoke up again, as softly and gently as he could.

"I'm here now, Giorgio. You don't have to be alone anymore. Please… Let me help you."

For a long moment, there was no response.

Then Giorgio let out a harsh sobbing sound, and the doors in front of Richard slowly swung open.

Cautiously, Richard entered the massive cupboard, scanning the room.

Giorgio was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a kid who couldn't be older than 9 or 10 was huddled in a corner of the room.

As the kid looked up in fright, Richard caught sight of his startlingly familiar reddish–brown eyes.

"Giorgio?" He called softly, staring at the child in disbelief.

The boy whimpered, flinching away from Richard. "Please… don't hurt me…"

All at once, Richard understood. This was the manifestation of Giorgio's true self within the simulation. The deepest part of his heart, which he usually hid behind a cold demeanour and an aloof mask back in the real world.

In here, the defences protecting his inner self were a bit more literal. The main part of Giorgio's consciousness, the part which had blended with the simulation and taken control of it, had raised countless obstacles to block off the path to the centre of the simulation in a twisted attempt to protect the frightened child hiding deep within.

Slowly, Richard crouched down, putting himself at eye level with Giorgio.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly, keeping his voice low and soothing. "I'm here to get you out."

Giorgio frantically shook his head, retreating further into his corner. "I can't leave… It's not safe. There are monsters out there."

"It's alright. I promise, they won't get you."

The boy sniffled, drawing his legs up to his chest. "I'm scared… I can't face them by myself."

"You won't have to. There are people out there who want to help you. You don't have to handle it alone." Cautiously approaching Giorgio, Richard held out a hand to him. "Please, come back with me. Everyone's worried about you."

Giorgio hesitated for a long moment, peering fearfully at Richard.

"Promise they won't abandon me?"

Richard swallowed, feeling a slight wetness to his eyes. "I promise. We're not going anywhere."

Slowly, Giorgio reached forward and took Richard's hand.

As a burst of bright light enveloped them, Richard felt Giorgio squeezing his hand tightly.


	4. Awakening

When the dizziness subsided, he could still feel someone holding his hand.

Opening his eyes, Richard found Rachel's worried face hovering over him.

Upon seeing that he was awake, her eyes widened, worried expression giving way to overwhelming relief.

"Richard! Thank goodness you're back."

The pressure on his hand vanished, and a moment later he felt his helmet being removed.

Richard slowly sat up, wincing slightly at how stiff his body felt.

"What happened to the others? Are they alright?"

Rachel gently placed a hand against his back, steadying him. "See for yourself."

In one corner of the room, Alan and Wesley were conversing in low tones, looking much more subdued than their usual selves.

Meanwhile, Christy was hugging Keith tightly while she sharply berated him and Robert. Robert looked somewhat uncomfortable in the face of Christy's worried anger, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes as he looked at Keith and Christy.

"Gi… Please…"

 _No… Don't tell me…_

With a surge of dread, Richard turned to see Evan sitting beside Giorgio's still unconscious form, holding his partner's hand tightly.

Richard's lips thinned as he took in the tears flowing freely down Evan's cheeks, and the tension in his posture as he squeezed Giorgio's limp hand.

By right, Richard and Giorgio should have awoken together. But it seemed that the younger agent was taking longer to return to the waking world.

 _Come on, Giorgio…_

With a soft, shuddering gasp, Giorgio opened his eyes.

"Gi!" After pulling off his partner's helmet, Evan's hands shifted to help Giorgio into a sitting position. "Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?"

"Give him some space to breathe, Evan," Richard chided softly, watching Giorgio with concern.

Giorgio remained completely motionless, staring at Evan with impossibly wide eyes.

"Gi?" Evan placed a gentle hand against Giorgio's cheek, looking at him worriedly.

At this, Giorgio's lip trembled, and tears brimmed in his eyes as he began shaking uncontrollably.

As Evan wrapped his arms around Giorgio, the older agent let out a strangled, choking sound. Violent sobs came bursting out as he buried his face in Evan's shoulder, clinging desperately to him.

The room went completely silent aside from Giorgio's noisy sobs. Evan just held him as he wept, rubbing soothing circles on his back and murmuring words of comfort even as he blinked back tears of his own.

After what seemed like an eternity, Giorgio's weeping died down to ragged breathing, punctuated by the occasional sob.

As Evan relaxed his grip and made to pull away, Giorgio's hand closed around his arm in a vice–like grip.

"Please… Stay… Don't want… Alone again… Please…"

At Giorgio's choked, halting plea, Evan looked as though he was going to start crying again. Swallowing heavily, he clumsily patted Giorgio on the back with his free hand, settling into his seat.

Relaxing into Evan's soothing touch, Giorgio loosened his grip on the younger agent's arm, leaning against him limply. His eyes were closed, and if it weren't for his sniffling, Richard would have thought he'd lapsed back into unconsciousness.

"Richard."

At Rachel's soft but firm voice, Richard tore his gaze away from Giorgio and Evan.

"What is it?"

"What happened in there? Do you remember anything?" The curiosity burning in her eyes gave Richard a moment's pause.

"Haven't the other agents already told you about it?"

To his surprise, Rachel shook her head. "None of them remember anything. We were hoping that you could fill in the blanks for us."

"What?" Richard stared at her for a moment, then turned to look at the other agents. "You guys seriously don't remember anything at all?"

Robert shook his head, looking somewhat disgruntled. "Between putting on the helmet and waking up, my memory's a complete blank. I awakened feeling pretty agitated though. It was like I'd been disrupted in the middle of a huge fight, and the rage hadn't faded yet even though the fight was over."

"Keith? What about you?" Richard glanced at the younger agent.

The agent in question groaned, wincing slightly. "My body's sore and aching, like I slept on it wrong, and my head's killing me, but that's about it."

"Wesley and I can't recall anything either," Alan said softly. "But… I felt kind of sick when I woke up, as though I'd been having an awful nightmare or something."

Almost involuntarily, he shuddered slightly. Wesley squeezed his shoulder comfortingly, earning a grateful smile from his partner.

"What was it like in there? What did you see?" Christy looked at Richard curiously.

Memories of his experiences washed over him, and he had to stop himself from flinching.

 _I can't tell them. If they knew who they'd been in there… What they'd done…_

As Richard glanced at Giorgio, the sick feeling in his stomach intensified.

If Giorgio remembered how thoroughly the madness had gripped him… What he'd been willing to do in the simulation…

 _No. They can't know. I have to protect them from the truth._

For Giorgio's sake, Richard desperately hoped the younger agent didn't remember anything either. He had a feeling Giorgio wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

"I…" Richard swallowed painfully. "The world of the simulation… It was… Things didn't make sense in there. It was easy to forget who you were, or why you were there, or even where you were supposed to be."

He turned to look at his fellow agents. "I think… you guys would prefer it if I didn't jog your memories. What little you remember right now… you already know it doesn't feel particularly pleasant. Just… take my word for it that it's not something you'd want to relive."

For a long moment, nobody said anything.

"Alright." Evan's voice broke the silence.

Turning in surprise, Richard found the younger agent gazing at him. Giorgio was still slumped against Evan, but he seemed to have fallen into an exhausted sleep.

"If you say we don't want to know, I believe you," Evan said firmly.

The other agents looked uncertain, torn between curiosity and dread, while the rest of the VSSE personnel in the room looked somewhat disappointed that the truth would remain a mystery to them.

However, in the end, nobody raised any objections. Instead, they collectively agreed to drop the subject and not ask any further questions about it.

* * *

 **Later that night**

 **Richard and Rachel's Apartment, VSSE Residential Wing**

"You've been quiet."

The soft voice startled Richard, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Turning, he found Rachel gazing at him with gentle concern.

Fortunately, the entire saga had merely taken place over one very long day; all the agents besides Giorgio had been in the simulation for hours at most. Upon returning to Headquarters, they were given a quick check–up at the infirmary and then released, albeit with a stern warning to take it easy for the next few days.

Giorgio was still in the infirmary, being monitored for both the physical and psychological aftereffects of his month–long disappearance and subsequent imprisonment in the simulation. The last Richard had seen, Evan was sitting beside Giorgio's bedside, keeping watch over his partner as he slept.

"Sorry. I've… had a lot on my mind." Richard swallowed convulsively as he took a seat on the bed next to his wife.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rachel asked quietly.

Looking into her earnest blue eyes, Richard felt his tongue loosening, and the words bottled up within him began tumbling out, one after the other.

He spoke of Robert's bloodlust… Evan's empty, lifeless eyes… Alan wracked with guilt after killing Wesley in a fit of madness out of fear of losing his friend… Keith's body, lying cold and dead in a pool of blood…

And Giorgio…

Giorgio, who had been trapped so long he had forgotten there was an outside. Who had believed that the VSSE had abandoned him, leaving him in his prison to rot. Whose isolation had driven him mad, until he warped the entire simulation into his own twisted paradise, where loneliness didn't exist. And by the time the other agents entered the simulation to rescue him, he no longer saw them as allies but as threats to his perfect world, choosing to trap them alongside him instead and ensure that nobody would ever be able to leave him again.

Through it all, Rachel didn't say anything. When Richard finally fell silent, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a comforting embrace. Richard closed his eyes, allowing the warmth of Rachel's presence to ground him and wash away the disturbing memories that were still fresh in his mind.

"What I saw in there… It wasn't them. Not really. But…" Richard hesitated.

"But it wasn't entirely false either," Rachel finished his sentence for him. "Even though it doesn't fully reflect who they are, their personas within the simulation were still based in truth."

Richard nodded, thankful that she had understood. "To be honest… It frightens me. I mean… With Keith and Wesley, I saw them dead, which was bad enough. But the rest… After seeing them like that… I don't know if I can ever look at them the same way."

Rachel hesitated for a moment. "Are you really sure about that?"

"What do you mean?" Richard looked at her in confusion.

"Do you really think that's all you'll see when you look at them?" Rachel asked. "Maybe it's easier to see that part of them now, but there's a lot more to them than that, isn't there?"

Richard closed his eyes, letting the memories wash over him.

Robert's horrified reaction when he realised what he'd done… His palpable relief at seeing Keith safe after returning to the real world…

Evan prepared to search for Giorgio at all costs, even after driving himself to the brink of exhaustion… Comforting Giorgio when the older agent broke down after finally being freed from his lengthy imprisonment in the simulation…

Alan and Wesley reaffirming their trust in each other, and swearing not to let anything come between them or weaken the bond of their partnership…

Keith waking up from his virtual death and asking about Robert, more worried about his partner than himself even after what Robert had done to him…

Giorgio appearing as a frightened child in the simulation, hiding from the monsters lurking in the outside world and begging not to be abandoned… Giorgio, who was still chained by the emotional baggage that constantly weighed on him, keeping him trapped by fear and unable to free himself from the deep–seated loneliness that plagued him…

"You're right." Opening his eyes, he gave Rachel a small smile. "It might take a bit of time for me to adjust, but… I shouldn't start doubting them just because of today's events. I've seen a different side of them, but they're still my fellow agents. I can trust them to have my back, as always."

* * *

As Richard turned off the lights and quietly slipped into bed beside Rachel, she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, slipping an arm around him and pulling him closer.

Tomorrow, he'd check on the other agents, just to make sure that they weren't being haunted by fragments of memories they couldn't fully recall. Perhaps he would drop by the infirmary as well, and keep Giorgio company for a while.

For now, with Rachel's comforting presence right beside him, Richard was simply relieved that the nightmare was over.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

A bit of extra information, to give you some insight into why the wonderland was crafted in the specific way I chose.

 **The Dream:** Giorgio. This was the first role I decided on, and the most obvious to me. A lonely little dream that wants to trap people in a world of its own… Who better to fit this role than the agent who fears being alone and hates people leaving him?

The whole thing at the start with the dream being lonely and separated from others by a veil is meant symbolically, with the veil representing Giorgio's inability to get close to others because of his issues. The part where the dream is abruptly cut off from everything entirely is when Giorgio is trapped in the simulation and comes to believe that he's been abandoned.

Admittedly, I was taking a bit of poetic license with the phrasing here; Giorgio has no way of luring anyone into the simulation, and no way of knowing that anyone would be coming in after him either. But since the first chapter is rather ambiguous and whimsical, I figured it didn't matter that much. Even after you learn what's really going on, there's still a hint of uncertainty, and the reader is left with the feeling that the narrative in the first chapter is described in a fantastical and sometimes symbolical manner that might not entirely line up with the actual progression of events. The exact details of what the agents *really* experienced when they entered the simulation and became trapped is left up to the reader's imagination.

 **First Alice:** Robert, the Fighter. The First Alice was a Swordsman/Knight in Alice of Human Sacrifice, and although none of the agents use swords (Except TC5 Era Keith, but that doesn't count), I felt that Robert was thematically the best fit for this role.

The first Alice isn't exactly a shining example of tact or patience, carving a bloody path through the wonderland as she traverses it. In Robert's case, while I'm not suggesting he's inherently violent, Robert is the least likely of the agents to try negotiating first before jumping into a fight. He may be strategic and tactical when fighting, but he has no patience for dealing with people, and is thus unlikely to try to find another solution before using force.

Perhaps it seems strange for a strategist to agitate for battle, but Robert's strength lies in being able to plan out his moves when fighting. Or, if a long–term plan needs to be set in motion, he is able to focus on the big picture to achieve his objective. While this pragmatism usually serves him well, it also means that Robert has difficulty paying attention to details that he deems insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Connecting with and empathising with other people is one such feat that gives him great trouble.

This is not to say that Robert doesn't care at all; but to his eyes, it is more important to focus on troubleshooting the problem at hand as efficiently as possible, even if he risks upsetting people in the process. Hence why Keith provides a balance in their dynamic: Keith has a way with people that Robert lacks, and is able to handle the human side of things while Robert focuses on problem solving.

Because he is unable to adequately empathise with Giorgio, Robert makes the mistake of seeing the simulation as just another problem to be solved. To him, it's simple: Giorgio is trapped in the simulation, so Robert needs to find Giorgio and get him out. However, Robert fails to understand that Giorgio is not in his right mind at the moment, and that he needs to adopt a less aggressive approach in dealing with Giorgio.

Instead, Robert treats the obstacles in his path as mere barriers to be overcome, believing the simulation is trying to hinder him from rescuing Giorgio. In doing so, he fails to understand that they were created by Giorgio himself as a defence mechanism. Consequently, Robert's aggressive response only serves to further agitate Giorgio's already fragile emotional state, driving him deeper into madness and causing him to lash out at Robert in revenge.

 **Second Alice:** Keith, the Mage. The Second Alice was supposed to be a Singer, but unless any of the agents are hiding remarkable singing talents, this obviously wouldn't be particularly relevant. So, I chose to shift it into something similar. The Singer's strength is in her words, and how she can use them to shape the world around her. Instead of making the second Alice a Singer, I chose to make him a Mage instead, keeping the whole "words are power" theme.

While I do think Keith fits as the second Alice, I must admit this is more a case of "process of elimination" for me rather than immediately choosing Keith for this role. I already knew which roles I wanted for Alan, Wesley and Evan, which left Keith for the role of the Mage.

It still fits though; Keith is more likely to be patient and persuasive with people, especially in comparison with his partner (though that's admittedly not saying much). Also compare Keith with Evan: Keith as the Mage is able to coax and persuade. Evan, on the other hand, is able to win people over easily with his sunny demeanour and his grin without needing to say much at all, so he wouldn't fit this role quite as well.

Although Keith is a daredevil and much more impulsive than Robert in battle, he also has more natural empathy. He is thus more likely to take a softer and more diplomatic approach when dealing with other people. Keith is the opposite of Robert in this regard, as he is inclined to try to help people no matter what, even if it puts his mission at risk. It was this ingrained response that caused him to jump the gun and try to save Giorgio as soon as possible. And afterwards, when Robert became trapped, this same instinct drove Keith to follow him, even knowing he might share his partner's fate.

While Keith does not yet understand what has happened to Giorgio, he takes a gentler approach in his search, trying to gain Giorgio's cooperation and persuade him to reveal himself rather than forcing him out of hiding. However, Giorgio is already convinced that the VSSE betrayed him by leaving him trapped in the simulation. After Robert's actions, he is even more likely than ever to see any newcomers as a threat rather than someone trying to help. As such, he is incapable of listening or responding to Keith's attempts at getting through to him.

And, I admit, though the song just says that the second Alice was killed by a madman, I thought it would be fitting for Robert to deal the fatal blow to Keith. I had fun writing the scene where Keith releases Robert and recognises him, but Robert's lost his mind and shoots Keith without realising who he is. It seems like Keith and Robert are eternally entwined with conflict and betrayal… :P At least here, Robert didn't intend to hurt Keith and was horrified when he realised what he'd done.

 **Third Alice:** Evan, the Youth. Although the Third Alice was supposed to be a Queen, I doubt any of the agents would forget their mission *that* easily and choose to take over the wonderland instead of trying to locate Giorgio. Well, the Queen is popular and well–loved… so Evan took over the altered version of her role. Evan's bright and friendly nature allows him to make friends easily, which isn't that far off from the Queen's charisma and popularity.

In the original song, the Queen fell to madness as the dream distorted her and she became afraid of dying and losing her throne. Well, that was *her* personal fear. When Giorgio begins sowing doubts in Evan's mind, he preys on Evan's inner insecurities, about being inexperienced and unable to catch up with the other Crisis Agents. And as Evan begins to lose faith in himself, his fears become reality and he loses his protection against the darkness.

 **Fourth Alice:** Alan and Wesley. This should be pretty obvious. Although the Fourth Alice was supposed to be a pair of twins, Alan and Wesley might as well fit the bill. They're approximately the same age (Only a year apart), and they're about as close as brothers.

If you've read Temporal Fates, you might have picked up on the throwaway mention of Alan being gay (It'll be brought up again and expanded on slightly in a later chapter). Although I didn't mention this in Temporal Fates itself because of pacing issues, Alan had unrequited feelings for Wesley years ago before they joined the VSSE together (I'll touch on that in a sidestory, if I'm ever able to pull that off).

This doesn't take place in the Temporal Fates universe, but I see them as having the same characterisation/backstory. Either way, even without knowing about Alan and Wesley's past, I think it makes sense that Alan would be more likely to be affected. Wesley, as the more logical of the two, would be less affected by Giorgio's words. But Alan, who's the more emotional one, is the weak point that Giorgio can pick on.

Alan and Wesley are best friends and partners, but there's no such thing as a perfect relationship. All it takes is a passing thought, or a brief stirring of jealousy. Either way, while it's not likely for them to fall out, there's always the possibility, no matter how remote. And in the wonderland, a moment of doubt is all that's needed to begin planting the seeds of discord.

While Alan and Wesley have a close bond and are usually on the same wavelength, there's always the underlying question: What happens if life gets in the way, and they simply begin to… drift apart, until all that's left is a shadow of the bond they once had? With their circumstances in this fic, I finally got a chance to explore that question… And have them find an answer of sorts.


End file.
